William mullen



. 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. W. MULLEN.

(No Model.)

Patented 1390,10, 1895.-

WMM-1x,

2 Sheets-Sheet 2. W. M'ULLEN.

(fNo Model.)

Hon.

Patented Deo. 10, 1895.

ANUHEW BliRAHAM,PHUTO-UTHQWASMNGI'DN.DvC,

UNITED STATES 'PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM MULLEN, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.v

HOD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters resent No. 550,996, dated December 1o, 1895. `Application mea retmry 6,1895. serial Ne. 537,495. (Ne'meaem T0 all whom t mayconcern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM MULLEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Hods, (Case No. 1,) of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and eX- act description; reference being had to the acand at the rear through holes bored out therein in continuation of the grooves. The ends of these rods are provided with screws, and an iron brace secured to the back of the hod is placed over these projecting ends and secured in place by nuts. In the upper edge of the back of the hod I provide a groove. clamp, preferably in the form of a rod, passes under the rail and upwardly along the sides and into the said groove in the upper edge of the back. The ends of this rod are provided with a suitable clamping device, preferably right and left hand screws, upon which the corresponding ldouble nut is adapted to be turned to secure the rod tightly in place. It will thus be seen that by tightening the nuts provided upon the rearwardly-proj ecting ends of the rod passing from front to rear and also by tightening the double nut that all the parts of the hod are securely fastened together, and in case of shrinkage the parts may be brought together by further tightening of the nuts referred to.

A further feature of my invention consists in the manner of bracing the handle. The brace is preferably made of strap-iron, having a collar which is clamped about the handle a few inches below the rail and having three braces connected therewith-two at the side attached respectively to the side pieces of the hod and one brace secured under the rail, preferably about midway between the handle and the A. trative of my invention.

bumper. The end of the brace under the rail is preferably secured in placeby a bolt, the nut of the bolt holding the brace securely in place. The side pieces are preferably secured each by an ordinary wood-screw. The rail should be of hard woodlike oak, for example. Its sides are cut out to conform to the lower edges of the side pieces. Thus the rail in cross section when inverted is shaped something like a railroad-rail, the web or portion between the lower corners of the side pieces being, say, an inch and a quarter, and the lower portion, which corresponds in shape to the tread of a railroad-rail, being wide enough so that the edges thereof will be flush with the outer surfaces of the sloping side pieces. for receiving the end of the handle which is screwed therein. The back piece of the hod is inserted in grooves provided in the side pieces and in the rail and held in place as already stated.

My inventionwill be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a perspective view of a hod illus- Fig. 2 is a detail view showing the projecting nose or bumper and the manner of fastening the rod or wire under the same. Fig.3 is a rear elevation. Fig. 4 is a front elevation. Fig. 5 is a view showing the under side of the front end of the bumper and the preferable manner of securing the clamping wire or rod thereto. Fig.Y 6 is a sectional view of one of the side pieces, illustrating the clamping-rod extending rearwardly with a groove and opening provided therein and clamped in positionvby the nut at the end of the rod.

Like parts are indicated by similar letters of reference throughout the different figures.

The side pieces@ b are secured at the bottom to the rail c, this rail having its lowerouter edges flush with the lower edges of said side pieces and being grooved or out away centrally on each sideto conform to the angles of the side pieces, which are thus fitted t0 the rail. The rail extends from the front to the rear of the hod and projects beyond the side pieces to form a nose or bumper d. The back e., as is usual, consists of a kite-shaped piece, which is fitted in grooves provided in the side A hole is tapped out through the rail IOO pieces and in the rail. The h andle f isscrewed into a threaded opening provided` in suitable position through the rail.

Two adjustable clamping devices are pro-u vided for holding the. parts together and for tightening up the jointsin caseof` shrinkage of the lumber. composed of the rod or heavy wire g, which, as illustrated, passes under the nose d, as illustrated at h, Fig. 5, and from thence eX- tends over grooves provided in the rounded edges of` the side pieces and back through openings to the rear, terminating, in screws z z. the bar or brace k, which bar may be of heavy strap-iron and secured centrally, as shown, to the back or kiteshapedpiece e. By-means of the nuts, whichl are screwed upon the threaded ends t' c', the side pieces a Z9' andthe back e are securely clampedtOgether.,

The roundedupper portion of the back is provided-with a groove. The clamping-Wire Z, which is placedaround the rear ends offtheside pieces ab and'under the rail c, is brought upwardly, 4so that the-ends thereofrest in said;

groove. These ends are provided withright and left hand threads, respectively, andfby means of the nut my, resting in the notchpreferablyprovided at the center of the upper endofthe back piece, the wire or rodZ, forining the vertically-placed clamp, are brought together. In this mannerthe side pieces ab with the rail are clamped to the kite-shaped piece c, forming the back of the hod. Staples` are preferably driven into the sidesa b over the wire Z to aid in securing the-same inplace, as shown. The collar n, forming a part of` the device for bracing the handle, is fitted, preferably, tightly upon the handle. The central brace o is pivoted between the ends ofthe collar and secured, preferably, `by a bolt and nut, as shown, to the underside ofl the rail. The side bracesppare secured each by a screw, as shown,1'o the side pieces.

The rail, so to speak, forms the backbone of my hod, and it should, therefore, be of strong woodand of sufficient size to withstand the" strain and shocks to which itis necessarily subjected.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In ahod, the combination with a rail extending from front to rear, and adapted to form a bumper, of the side pieces secured The main clamping device is Over these projecting ends is placed thereto,the end piece secured between the side pieces, and the handle upon the end of which the rail is adapted to rest, whereby `the weight of the load is transmitted to the handle through the rail which serves also as `a bumper., substantially as described.

2. In a hod, the combination with a rail eX- tending from front to rear and adapted to fjorm a bumper, said rail being cut away at the sides to form V shaped grooves, side pieces ysecured to the rail, the squared edges thereof gittingin said groovestho endrpiece secured between the side pieces, and the handle upon the end'ofwhichtherail is adapted to rest; `whereby the downward thrust of the side pieces is taken up `bythe rail-and the load is `transmitted to the handle-throughthe rail jwhich-also serves as a bumper; substantially as-descrioed.

3.; InA ahodgthe combination` of` the side pieces @bland backV piece1 c, with a rail c, ibinding rod g;- andf str-ap 7a.

4.` Thecombination in a hod,rwith the rail extending-from front to rear andiprojecting gto form a bumper, of the side piecessecured thereto, a clamping rod extending from r under the nose orbumper of` therailrearwardly l:over the side pieces, the kiteshapedy back placed between the side pieces-andfitted in grooves lprovided therein andin the rail, and `abrace or strap at the rearofsaid back with which the ends of' the elampin rod are scribed.

5. The combinationin alhod, with the rail extending from front torear and'projecting Lto form a bumper, of thesidepieces secured ;ther eto, a y clamping rodi extending from under the nose or bumper of the raillrearw-ardly placed between the side `pieces andditted in grooves provided therein andin the rail, a brace or strap at the rearf ofy said back` to which the 4.ends ofJ the clamping rod are adjustably connected, and a clamping rod surrounding thesaid 'back andi passing over the side pieces. and under` the rail, vsaidqclamping rod being adapted'to be loosenedor-tightened as required, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I; hereunto` subscribe lmy name this Zdday of- February, A. 1895. WILLIAM MULLEN.

lVitnesses z GEORG-E L. Gnade,

DE AWrr'r` C. TANNER.

adjustably connected, substantiallyl as. de-

over the side pieces, the kite-shaped back IOO 

